1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to sewing machine tables and particularly to industrial type sewing machine tables which are used with multiple sewing machine heads whereby two or more items are sewn or embroidered simultaneously. Specifically, the invention described herein pertains to a table which will enable the operator to change the sewing machines from acceptance of flat goods such as open shirts to acceptance of three dimensional goods such as baseball caps for embroidering or stitching.
2. Description Of The Prior Art And Objectives Of The Invention
It has become increasingly popular in recent years to sew and embroider various garments such as shirts, pants, jackets, caps and the like. Trademarks, company names, and the names of social organizations are now routinely placed on garments and various groups have increasingly sought uniforms or other matching garments to wear at different events and occasions with identical logos. Commercial sewing machines which utilize a plurality of sewing heads are in wide spread use whereby an operator may stitch or sew, by computer control, the logo or name simultaneously on a plurality of similar articles of wearing apparel. "Flat goods" embroidering is conventionally done with sewing machines employing a standard table or bed whereby the goods are positioned thereon in frames and logos or the like are embroidered on multiple pieces at the same time. However, when so called "three dimensional" objects such as baseball caps or the like are to be embroidered, the sewing table or bed has to be removed or positioned out of the way since a frame for insertion into the cap is affixed to the machine proximate the sewing machine needles for maintaining the cap in a proper position during stitching. Such cap frames are generally circular and cannot lay on a conventional flat sewing table. Thus, the sewing table must be removed and positioned out of the way while the operator modifies the sewing machine equipment to receive the cap frames. Commercial sewing machines employing a series of two (2) or more sewing heads utilize a flat, heavy laminated table. Such sewing machine tables are not only heavy but are bulky and must be handled with care to prevent damage thereto. These tables are also difficult to remove by even a pair of operators, and if care is not taken, can accidentally strike the needles of the sewing machines during removal or replacement, causing delays and added expense in the set up or take down time.
Thus, with the problems and disadvantages of the removal of conventional sewing machine tables from conventional sewing machines having multiple sewing heads, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a sewing machine table which will allow the operator to easily convert from sewing flat goods to three dimensional objects such as baseball caps, or tubular goods such as polo shirts, pockets, pant legs or other items and back again.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a sewing machine table which includes a mechanism for allowing the table to move downwardly, away from the sewing machine needles and cylinder arms which houses thread bobbins.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a mechanism for a sewing machine which includes a pair of pivot arms and coil springs which help maintain the table in either a raised or lowered position.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a sewing machine table mechanism which allows for easy table movement and includes a crank member to which an L-shaped arm and a linear arm are attached.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a sewing machine table mechanism which includes a hydraulic cylinder for dampening the upward movement of the table to insure a smooth, safe table conversion operation.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed presentation is provided below.